There is a massive and unfortunate premise in this question which implies that God is in “control” and is therefore responsible for suffering. If you follow Judeo-Christian theology, you’ll notice that after Creation, in Genesis 1:26, God made a covenant with Adam. Mankind was given delegated, governmental authority over this entire planet. Unfortunately, by defying one simple edict, eating from one Tree, Adam ceded that authority to God’s sworn enemy, Satan, who is the very personification of evil. Even to this day, the devil is the source of ALL pain and suffering, not God. For a long while, this enemy was remarkably effective, as evil became the predominant motivator of man’s heart. Eventually, a worldwide flood rebooted civilization on a different platform. God made a new covenant with Abraham, a man of extraordinary faith.
In New Testament times, we’ve been offered a quiet, non-political strategy for redeeming this planet from mankind’s fallen state. It’s not overt and dramatic like parting the Red Sea, but by adopting this offer of salvation through Christ, we can be empowered to bring joy and peace and civilized behavior to certain pockets of society. John 1:12 reads, “as many as received Him, He gave them power (Gr: dunamis) to become sons of God.” Jesus paid a massive price to “repurchase” the Creation, sins and all, with His own life. Through the power of His resurrection, He conquered the agony of suffering and death for all of us. But…there’s one small issue. We need to acknowledge the merits, the logic, the love, the implications and the eternal value of this act. We need to accept that this man Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. He then empowers us with the Holy Spirit, an onboard spiritual navigation system, to quietly announce the will of God for our lives.
If we comply, you and I then receive authority and resources from the Kingdom of Heaven and begin to act accordingly. We are to bring the light of the Lord into our respective corner of the planet. This is how we will eventually redeem this world of unnecessary pain and suffering. This is the strategic plan of heaven, I believe.
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In this era man has rapidly transferred his allegiance and devotion away from God and toward himself. As in Babel, Sodom, ancient Israel, and ancient Greece, man has begun afresh to worship his own image. In a fit of narcissism, he has displaced the living God as the central focus
Some people come to believe in God because they acknowledge their capacity and desire for worship. They realize that mankind is ‘overengineered’ for this world, capable of vision-casting, innovation and harnessing natural resources for the greater good. They sense a presence of love, from others and toward others, that cannot
I did, although I would prefer to exchange the phrase “religious person” for “spiritual believer.” Religion is man’s attempt to prove himself to God. It separates and objectifies others. It controls adherents by requiring ritualized performance. Religion is a ‘Tower of Babel’ attempt to justify ourselves to God. But what
Like so many philosophical/ spiritual questions, this one has a false premise built into it. Let’s reframe your important question. I’ll agree that God created nature, the Earth, sun, moon and the galaxies. But He made it “good”, not perfect. He delegated governing authority to mankind, with a mandate to
As you continue to explore your identity as a spiritual father, be willing to press deeper, to the true, biblical meaning of the term. We can colloquially say you are “fathering” certain individuals, but be willing to challenge yourself: is it really fathering, or perhaps discipling, or maybe just training?
About 60 times, the Bible uses the term “inherit” and about 190 times it mentions “inheritance”. That’s pretty significant. The topic immediately reminds us of what an older, loving family member leaves to the children in a will. When God uses those words, He wants us to take them seriously.
